Three Corning Incorporated women were honored by Cablefax magazine for their leadership and innovation.
The quarterly magazine, which recognizes leaders and top programs in the cable industry, recently featured Corning’s Jeanne Propst, Monica Bankston, and Gabriela Medellin.
“Corning encourages women to succeed, and we support women as they work hard to become leaders in their fields,” said Christy Pambianchi, senior vice president, People & Digital. “So it feels great when our efforts are validated by objective media outlets.”
Most Powerful Women – Jeanne Propst
Cablefax named Propst to its list of the Most Powerful Women in Cable. She currently serves as division vice president, Product Line Management, in Corning Optical Communications and has worked around the world.
While serving in Europe several years back, Propst helped found a support network for women through Corning’s Professional Women’s Forum, creating a chapter there. It now has more than 150 members from 25 countries. Propst moved on to Asia, leading the company’s efforts in the Chinese market while serving as president of Optical Communications there. After spending more than three years in China, she returned to the U.S. last winter to lead the market launch of Corning® TXF™ optical fiber.
Propst saw the Cablefax honor as an opportunity to reflect on her career.
“As a young girl, I never pictured myself having as diverse a career as I've had at Corning,” she said. “As I started in the production floor, I would have never pictured myself here today, but that is a testament to the opportunities and to the environment at Corning. You have multiple opportunities from a variety of roles, functions, and even geography opportunities. And it helps you customize your own career and actually integrate it into your work life.”
Most Influential Minorities – Monica Bankston
Monica Bankston, global diversity officer, landed on the Most Influential Minorities list. Bankston said she is proud Corning leaders recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion at Corning.
During the last year, Bankston launched a five-year diversity and inclusion strategy. Moving forward, she will continue her work on diversity awareness and launch an “unconscious bias” training that encourages thought on culture, not just race or gender. Additionally, to celebrate Corning’s 50 years of focus on diversity and inclusion, she led the company’s first global employee resource group conference.
“I’m just exceptionally proud to be a part of a group of female leaders who received this award,” said Bankston. “I’m proud to work for an organization that sees women as an asset to the company and sees women as the future leaders in the organization [who] can continue to help us innovate for the next 165-plus years.”
People to Watch – Gabriela Medellin
The magazine also listed Gabriela Medellin, product line manager, Optical Communications, among People to Watch. Medellin has held multiple roles in her 13 years with Corning. In 2015, she served as the first product line manager at Corning’s Reynosa, Mexico, facility. Currently at Corning’s Optical Communications headquarters in North Carolina, Medellin leads a product team and, among other things, develops market insights, creates product line vision and strategies, and manages financial and market performance.
"I’ve always said that I could compare Corning to a big university where you give the young engineers an opportunity to learn by doing—actually empower them to make decisions,” said Medellin. “The biggest asset any company has is its employees.”
Click here to view the digital copy of the magazine.
